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Accelerating your career path with an in-depth understanding of ‘Diplomacy and World Affairs’


The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.  — Dag Hammarskjöld, second United Nations Secretary-General (1953 to 1961)

Sometimes I have seen that many people are questioning about the effectiveness of the role of United Nations in a world where it has to deal with number of new issues which arises each & every day. When someone is questioning the existence & the effectiveness of United Nations, I always recall the above quote from one of the former UN Secretary Generals & ask the question ‘What if there is no organization called United Nations? Just imagine, how the world would look like when over 193 nations act in their own without any cooperation or common agreement among each other?!?’   

Being the Official Sri Lankan Youth Delegate to the 71st United Nations General Assembly which was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York USA, was one of the most unforgettable experiences that I ever had in my life. Also I deem it a privilege having the wonderful opportunity to present the youth statement of Sri Lanka at the Third Committee of 71st United Nations General Assembly which has agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect people all over the world. United Nations Headquarters was the place where I could actually witness the beauty of diplomacy & world affairs for the very first time in my life. It was such a wonderful thing to witness, how 193 member states try to agree upon various topics through rounds of discussions & negotiations which were both formal & informal. It actually gave me a great insight to the world of diplomacy & world affairs in real time.

Throughout my stay in New York as the Official Sri Lankan Youth Delegate to the United Nations, what I realized was, Diplomacy is an art which needs an in depth understanding about dealing with different situations & different people. Also it is an art which should be practiced with prior knowledge in order to obtain better outcomes.   

Hence I strongly believe that having successfully completing the Diploma in ‘Diplomacy & World Affairs’ at Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI), helped me immensely throughout my journey as a diplomat & youth worker while giving me that prior knowledge which was essential to discharge my duties accordingly.

Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI) was established in 1994 under the guidance of the then Prime Minister, the Late Madam Sirimavo Bandaranaike, with the objective of nurturing the budding diplomats of the nation. I believe that having a panel of resource persons comprising of UN officials, past & present Ambassadors, High Commissioners, other professionals from various relevant fields in public & private sectors is one of the key to BIDTI’s success in delivering its results as it allows students to learn from the personals who have a vast knowledge & experiences about the course content which they deliver.   The course content covers areas such as Diplomatic Theory & Practice, International Law, International & Regional Organizations, Current Global Issues, and Development in Sri Lanka etc while also focusing on developing professional skills which are essential to anyone who thinks to excel in the field of diplomacy & world affairs. 
    
I believe that diplomacy is an art which should be learned & performed by any professional to excel in their career despite of the job field since the concept of global village is not an imagination anymore. Indeed it is real! Therefore having a good knowledge & understanding of the field of ‘Diplomacy & World Affairs’, will immensely help anyone who thinks to accelerate in their career while gaining the competitive advantage in this global village which is enhanced with modern technology that connects people all over the world.

W. Sachinda Dulanjana is a former Sri Lankan Youth Delegate to the United Nations and an  Honourable Speaker of Sri Lanka's Youth Parliament. 


The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and not the institutional views of the BIDTI, nor do they necessarily reflect the position of any other institution or individual with which the author is affiliated.
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